The Qur'an is a book of guidance; among its
several names is Kitab al-Hikmahor the Book of Wisdom. The
verses of the Qur’an are called ayath (signs), just as are the phenomena
of nature: both speak forth the presence and worship of Allah. We shall show
them Our portents on the horizon and within themselves until it will be manifest
unto them that it is the Truth (Qur'an, 41: 53). In over 1100
verses, the importance of thinking, reflecting and pondering on the signs
(natural phenomena) of Allah is emphasized; among these are. 2: 230, 242;
6:97-8; 10:24,67; 13:3-4; 14:25; 16:11-13,
44. 67-9, 90; 20:54; 23:30; 26:8; 28:43; 29:44;
30:20-9; 37:55; 38:29 39:18,21,27,42; 45:3-5,13;
51:49; 59:21. The greatest gift of Allah to man is the ability to
think which distinguishes him from all the animals on earth. The Qur’an declares
that the universe and all that there is in it is created by Allah as a ‘sign’, a
manifestation of His mercy, power and wisdom. It is also a manifestation of His
bounty and goodness; for He has created things for man’s benefit. Mankind is
enjoined to consider Allah's handiwork, to reflect on the wonders of His
creation.

As man was created with an insatiable desire forknowledge, God made adequate arrangements for him to know the hidden secrets
of the universe and taught him the nature and names of all things (2:31).
Then all the powers and treasures of the heavens and the earth were made
subject to him.

He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that
is in the heavens and on the earth; Surely in that are signs for those who
reflect. (45:13)

He has made subject to you the night and the day;
the sun and the moon; and the stars

Are in subjection by His Command; Verily in this
are signs for men of understanding. (16:12)

It is He who made the sea subject, that you may
eat thereof flesh that is fresh and tender, and that you may extract there from
ornaments to wear; and you see the ships thereon that plough the waves, that you
seek (thus) of the bounty of God and that you may be grateful. (16:14)

Islam and science

In Islam there is no conflict of principle between
science and religion. Both have always existed within man's innate nature
without contradiction. Both are means of paying homage to God and worshipping
Him who is the Lord and Sovereign of all. The desire to know the mysteries of
the earth and the universe has existed in man from the beginning of his
creation. Prophet Abraham exemplifies this (upon him be peace):

Behold! Abraham said: My Lord! Show me
how Thou givest life to the dead. He (God) said: Dost thou not then believe? He
said: Yes! But to satisfy my own understanding. (2:260)

The above verse clearly points to the truth that
in a sound human nature there is no contradiction between these two innate
tendencies, the desire to know and the desire to worship. Both help man to
commit himself wholly to the worship of God and follow His Guidance. The quest
for knowledge of the manifestations of God's Attributes in the universe leads to
God-fearing:

Those truly fear God among His servants who have
knowledge. (35: 28)

Just as worshipping God in hope and in fear is
natural and human, so too the desire to know more about the world around us and
to use its vast resources for the benefit of man is quite natural and human. In
Islamic culture, it is a sin to separate and departmentalize science or
knowledge and religion. Islamic culture rules the mosque and the school, the
market and the laboratory, the home and the presidential office. The law-courts
and the legislative assemblies, in short, every aspect of human life (Rahman.
1985. vol.1. p 254-310).

Man is endowed with mind, that is with
intelligence or power of reasoning. The Qur’an has laid great emphasis on the
proper development of this faculty, on the acquisition of knowledge through
observation, experience, and meditation. A Divine injunction commands every
Muslim, man and woman, to seek knowledge from the boundless and ever-revealing
treasures of knowledge and truth in nature and in all God’s creation. The Qur’an
also teaches man to find the 'truth’ and ‘reality’ of things through reasoning
and argument, not through unquestioning acceptance of ancestral beliefs without
substantiating evidence and argument. The Qur'an was the first book to demand
proof in support of every ‘conventional truth’ or ‘historical legacy’, to ask
‘why’ it should he accepted. At the same time, it provides proof and evidence in
support of its claims and contentions.

The method and style of reasoning of the Qur’an
are quite different from those of philosophers and orators. This is because it
is inviting people to believe and have faith in the Truth it has brought from
God. A strong faith is essential for man to seek to do what is right
consistently, because it is right, but such a strong faith cannot be achieved
without reasoning and strong and convincing arguments. It is therefore necessary
that natural and simple arguments be given that can satisfy and convince an
ordinary man in the street and thereby strengthen his faith. This approach
awakens human intellect from its slumber and leads it on to perceive and
critically observe even’ phase of life and every phenomenon in nature (lslahi,
1978, pp. 101-117).

The Qur’an not only provides reasoning and
arguments to prove its point but also develops the faculty of reasoning in man.
This is because a total revolution in the individual and collective life of man
cannot be brought about without fully awakening his faculties of thought. The
Qur’an provides reasoning that prepares the ground for the creation of this
wholesome thought in the heart and soul of man:

He bestows wisdom upon anyone He wills, and he who
is given wisdom is in fact given abundant wealth, but only those who have common
sense learn lessons from these things. (2: 269)

The Qur'an designates the whole world as the arena
for human activity: this world is filled with a vast range of diverse objects
created to challenge and be intelligible to the human faculties of thought,
reflection, observation, which are, in turn, capable of discovering the deepest
meaning and usefulness of the world. To understand the purposiveness of the
created world, scientific and technological knowledge is imperative. The Qur’an,
therefore, declares that the world is full of beauty and utility, and opens it
up to human understanding, appreciation and use. If such a direction had not
been given by the Qur’an with the clarity that it is, then the Divine design in
the creation would not have been accomplished.

It is by Muslims who combined a passionate
commitment to the absolute Transcendence and Oneness of God with a passionate
dedication to the Divine Will, that the flame of science extinguished in Athens
and Alexandria was rekindled. Science is not Divine revelation but it can
provide a means to the betterment of mankind and to a better understanding of
Allah’s creation and its purpose. Science is knowledge and Islam has laid great
stress on acquisition of knowledge; the Qur’an enjoins God’s servants to beseech
Him thus: O Lord! Increase

me in knowledge (20:114).

Also, God's Messenger, upon him be peace,
encouraged, through his precept and practice, the spirit of investigation and
analysis of facts. The Qur'an says that Allah has made the universe
subservient to human capabilities:

And He has subjected to you,
as from Him all that is in the heavens and on earth: Behold, in that are signs
indeed for those who reflect. (45:13)
The ‘reflection’ here referred to is nothing different from the scientific
spirit, which leads to understanding of and discoveries in the creation. In
Islam, learning and searching for knowledge is a religious duty of every
Muslim.The Qur’an appeals constantly to reason and experience and thus it
pointed for the first time to the principle that science could be based on
experiment as well as theory. The observable aspect of reality is emphasized by
the Qur’an in several verses. One of these verses is:

Assuredly,
in the creation of the heavens and of the earth; and in the
alternation of night and day: and in the ships which pass through the sea; and
in the rain which

God sends down from heaven, giving life to the earth after its death, and scattering
over it all kinds of cattle: and in the change of the winds, and in the
clouds that are made to do service between the heavens and the earth-are
signs for those who understand.

(2: 164)

In another verse the Qur’an proclaims:

And it is He who has ordained the stars for you
that you may be guidedthereby in the darkness of the land and the sea.
Clear have We made Our signs to men of knowledge. (6:95)

From over 1100 Qur’anic verses, and from the
writings of numerous Eastern as well as Western scholars, it is evident that
modern science owes its very existence to Islam. The new spirit of enquiry and
the new methods of experiment, observation and measurement, on which modern
science is based, are all contributions of those who followed the teachings of
Islam.

Scientific achievements

Within a century after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, the
Muslims not only conquered new lands, but also became scientific innovators with
originality and productivity. The rise of Muslims to the zenith of civilization
lasted over a thousand years. During this millennium Muslims contributed greatly
to the enhancement of arts, sciences and cultural growth of mankind. At the apex
of its glory around the tenth century, Cordoba, the capital of Muslim Spain, had
pavements, street lighting, three hundred public baths, parks, palaces, one
hundred thousand houses and seventy libraries. There were close to half a
million books in a single library whereas the whole of France contained much
less than this figure. By the ninth century, Islamic medical practice had
advanced to hospitals with wards, doctors who had to pass tests, and the use of
technical terminology. The then Baghdad General Hospital incorporated
innovations which sound amazingly modern: the fountains cooled the air near the
wards of those afflicted with fever, the insane were treated with gentleness;
and at night the pain of the restless was soothed by soft music and
storytelling. The prince and pauper received equal attention; the destitute upon
discharge received five gold pieces to sustain them during convalescence. While
Paris and London were places of mud streets and hovels, Baghdad, Cairo, and
Cordoba had hospitals open to both male and female patients, staffed by
attendants of both sexes. These medical centers had libraries, pharmacies, a
system of interns, externs, and nurses. There were mobile clinics to reach the
disabled, the disadvantaged and those in remote areas. There were regulations to
maintain quality control on drugs. Pharmacists became licensed professionals and
were pledged to follow the physician’s prescriptions. Legal measures were taken
to prevent doctors from owning or holding stock in pharmacies. The extent to
which Islamic medicine advanced in the fields of medical education, hospitals.
bacteriology, medicine, anesthesia, surgery, pharmacology, ophthalmology,
psychotherapy and psychosomatic disease would require several volumes to
describe fully.

It is most important to
note that the Muslims preserved the cultures of the conquered lands. The Islamic
empire for more than 1000 years remained the most advanced and civilized society
in the world. This is because Islam stressed the importance of and respect for
learning, forbade destruction, and nurtured in Muslims the respect for authority
and discipline, and tolerance for other religions. The Muslims recognized
excellence and. hungering intellectually, were eager for the wisdom of the world
of Galen, Hippocrates, Ptolemy. Dioscorides, Aristotle, and Paul of Aegina. By
the tenth century their zeal and enthusiasm for learning resulted in all
essential Greek writings being translated into Arabic in Damascus, Cairo,
Baghdad. Arabic became the international language of learning and diplomacy. The
center of scientific knowledge and activity shifted eastwards, and Baghdad
emerged as the capital of the scientific world.

Islamic medicine is one of the most famous and
best-known facets of Islamic civilization, and in which the Muslims most
excelled: for example, they performed eye surgery 600 years earlier than
in Europe. But they excelled in many other fields as well. For example, the
Muslims used paper 200 years before Europe, invented spherical trigonometry in
the late 10th century, solved equations of the third and fourth degree,
binomials to the nth degree, and developed differential and
integral mathematics. They discovered the force of gravitation, blood
circulation, laws of motion, including planetary motion, and even developed the
theory of evolution and taught it in their universities. They measured the
circumference of the earth and value for specific gravities correct to three
decimal places almost a thousand years ago. There is hardly a field of knowledge
where Muslims did not research, think or investigate, explore or invent,
something exemplary. And the greater part of these achievements were passed on
to Europe, enabling its intellectual and cultural Renaissance, a historical
reality now beginning to be widely acknowledged in the West.

The motivating factors

The zeal and enthusiasm to reach such a peak was
the result of Islam's insistence on learning. The Qur'an itself is the greatest
motivating factor in this regard: Islam is a rational religion. Repeatedly the
Qur’an appeals to men to use their reason and especially their common sense in
matters of religion. Historical experience goes to prove that a large measure of
free thought is absolutely necessary to human progress, and at the same time
those nations, which lose faith in God, deteriorate. To most modern Westerners
religious commitment and free thought are incompatible. However, the experience
and history of Muslims prove that they are perfectly compatible. In the early
centuries of Islam, an intense faith in God was combined with free thought in
every field of knowledge and endeavour; for Islam held nothing in human
knowledge so sacred as to be immune from criticism. The Creator of the universe
and the earth had bestowed on man the gift of reason, which is extolled by
Muslim writers as the highest gift, to be used quite freely in the name of Allah
- that is to say, with the purpose of pursuing what is good and eschewing what
is evil, for which the sacred law affords guidance and safeguards. There is no
priesthood in Islam, however the most wise and learned men became the natural
leaders. As a matter of fact, scholars are described as ‘the heirs of the
prophets’. (Syed, I.B., 2002)

The Qur’an asserts that those who have no
knowledge are not equal to those who have it, and that those who do not observe
and make sense of what they observe are worse than cattle. It also asserts that
the meaning of revelation becomes clear to those who have knowledge and who have
understanding, emphasizing that whosoever has been given knowledge has indeed
been given an abundant good and that of all things, it is knowledge by which man
is superior to angels and has been made vice-regent of God on earth.